To preserve your World of Warcraft UI and addon settings, close the game and copy the correct installation’s entire WTF folder. Copy InterfaceAddOns too if you also want to preserve the installed addon files. On restore, put the folders back in the matching game-flavor directory while WoW is closed, keeping the folder structure intact.
What to back up: settings versus addon files
World of Warcraft stores addon code and saved settings separately. The WTF folder holds game configuration and saved data, including addon settings; InterfaceAddOns holds addon files. Copying only InterfaceAddOns will not restore the addons’ saved profiles or configuration. CurseForge Support describes backing up both folders as an option for preserving addons and settings after reinstalling the game: World of Warcraft Addons – FAQ and Troubleshooting.
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- Settings only: Back up
WTF; reinstall compatible addon files separately if needed. - Settings and installed addons: Back up both
WTFandInterfaceAddOns.
Find the right WoW folder
Each game flavor has its own directory. Locate the installation folder for the version you play—such as Retail, whose folder is commonly named _retail_—rather than copying folders from a different flavor. The exact installation path depends on where the game was installed. CurseForge’s FAQ explains selecting a game flavor in its app and uses _retail_ as an example.
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Back up your UI and addon settings
- Exit WoW completely. Do not copy files while a game session is open. A player troubleshooting discussion warns that the client may overwrite restored settings when it exits: WoW Forums: restoring addon profiles after a UI reset.
- Open the correct game-flavor folder. Find the folder for the installation you intend to back up.
- Copy
WTF. Place the copied folder in a separate safe location, such as another drive or a backup folder. Keep its contents and directory structure unchanged. - Optionally copy
InterfaceAddOns. Include it if you want to retain the installed addon files as well as their settings. - Keep the backup intact. If you plan to update addons, retaining the matching addon files alongside the saved data gives you a fallback if a newer version handles saved data differently.
Where addon settings live
There is no single guaranteed location for every addon’s settings. Common saved-variable data is under WTFAccount<account>SavedVariables; character-specific settings can be in account, realm, or character subfolders under WTF. Addons vary in how they store profiles, so copying the whole folder is safer than trying to identify and select individual files.
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| Folder | Typically contains | Back it up when |
|---|---|---|
WTF |
Game settings and saved data, including addon variables. | You want to preserve settings and profiles. |
WTFAccount<account>SavedVariables |
Common account-wide saved-variable files. | You are selecting specific saved data rather than copying all of WTF. |
WTFAccount<account><realm><character> and related paths |
Character-specific configuration or saved data. | You need settings associated with particular characters. |
InterfaceAddOns |
Addon code and files, not the saved settings themselves. | You want to keep a local copy of installed addons. |
The account and character path descriptions come from player discussions rather than a current Blizzard restore checklist: WoW Forums: transferring addon settings between PCs and WoW Forums: syncing addons between computers.
Restore the backup
- Close WoW. Keep the client closed until the files are back in place.
- Open the matching game-flavor directory. Restore to the installation and flavor whose settings you want to use.
- Copy the saved
WTFfolder into that directory. Preserve the nested account, realm, character, and saved-variable paths. If you backed up addon files, also restoreInterfaceAddOns. - Start WoW after the copy finishes. Check the relevant characters and addon profiles in game. If a profile is not selected automatically, choose it in the addon’s own settings.
These restore steps follow the folder layout described in community guidance; the sources do not establish a current official Blizzard step-by-step restore procedure. Moving saved data to a different account or character may not select the same addon profile automatically.
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Moving to another computer or reinstalling
For a new computer, copy the backup to the corresponding game-flavor directory on that machine. You can either restore both folders or install compatible addons again and restore only WTF. Reinstalling addon code separately means a smaller copy, but it does not remove the need to restore the saved settings folder.
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If an addon problem prompted the reset, restoring every old setting at once can bring back the configuration that caused trouble. Restore selectively when you can, enable a small set of addons first, and test before enabling the rest. Keep a copy of the pre-restore folders so you can undo the change if needed.
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Common problems to avoid
- Only copying AddOns: This brings over addon files, not their SavedVariables settings.
- Restoring while the game is open: WoW may write its current state over files before the session ends.
- Restoring to the wrong flavor: Retail and Classic installations use different game-version folders.
- Copying only account-wide data: Character-specific settings may be stored elsewhere in the
WTFtree. - Expecting an unchanged profile after moving accounts or characters: An addon may associate the profile with a particular character or realm, so check its profile selector.
- Combining old saved data with changed addon code: Addon versions can alter saved-variable formats. Compatibility is not guaranteed; keeping the old files together makes rollback possible.
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